Getting Through the Going Through
Ever feel like you’re getting seasick from life’s ups and downs?
This past week was like that for me, with valley lows and mountaintop highs. I wept over a call that my cousin was injured in an accident and is potentially paralyzed, but then celebrated when a girl who’d been on my prayer list rang the bell that she beat cancer. The house has been oddly quiet with my two oldest at college, but then they surprised me by coming home for the long weekend. I had an exciting book release but also a pressing book deadline. A deal my husband had worked on for a long time fell apart but miraculously came back together. If this week had been a sailboat, I would be seasick and leaning over the railing.
For my next series, I’ve been researching Regency ballet, which reminded me of how when dancers spin, they pick a specific point to return their focus so they don’t become dizzy. Same with seasickness. One tip is to keep your gaze on the horizon. When we’re in the middle of life’s twists and turns, it’s best to focus our eyes on God.
Proverbs 3:5- 6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” I love that this verse infers God sees our path and is beside us on our journey.
When we trust in God, we reach His benefits. Romans 15:5 states that God is the God of patience and comfort, and verse 13 identifies God as the God of Hope, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” When we’re in the valleys, hope is what we cling to. Hope is what sustains us.
Jesus also said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27.) Troubled hearts often mean hardships, but the Lord will strengthen us and give us His peace (Psalm 29:11). We are blessed by the hope of a new day and the promise of victory over sin and death through Christ.
Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusades for Christ, said, “With God, life is an endless hope. Without God, life is a hopeless end.” Often, hardship means walking by faith and not by sight. It can mean refusing to believe what the world tells us and instead claiming what God’s Word states. Often, it means standing in fearless faith, but even if you don’t feel brave, allow God to sustain you with His Righteous righthand because even faith the size of a tiny mustard seed can move mountains.